Track-layer s thermal gage



(No Model.)

P. H. FONTAINE. TRACK LAYBRS THERMAL GAGE.

No. 450,065. Patented Apr. vl7V, 1891.

" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PATRICK H. FONTAINE, OF ELMO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH 'FO VALTER IV.YVADDILL, OF DANVILLE, VIRGINIA.

'TRACK-LAYERS .THERMAL GAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,065, dated April 7,1891.

. Application led July 5, 1890. Serial No. 357,831. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, PATRICK H. FONTAINE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Elmo, in the county of Halifax and State of Virginia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in aThermal Railroad-Gage;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an instrument by which the rails of a railroadin construction are spaced in compliance with thermal conditions of theatmosphere during the operation of laying the rails.

The invention consists, chieiiy, in a wedge marked with a thermal scale,the two termini of which correspond to the highest and lowesttemperatures at which men can be usefully employed in laying tracks, andwhich is placed between the rails in accordance with the thermal stateof the atmosphere shown from a thermometer without mathematicalcalculation and without special assistance of an engineer.

The object of my invention is to enable a foreman of ordinary abilitiesin charge of a gang of railroad constructors to speedily lay a track,which at the highest temperature in the slimmer time represents twounbroken and uniform lines of rails, and in the coldest season shows therails uniformly spaced alon the whole track.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a face View of my thermalgage. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view oftwo adjoining rails represented as being spaced by my thermal gage. Fig.-it is a top view of a rail which is preferably employed in connectionwith my improved thermal gage, and Fig. 5 represents a modifiedconstruction of the gage.

The letter A in the drawings represents a wedge, and B a scale on thesame, C a slide, and D a railroad-rail.

On one of the incline surfaces of the wedge A the scale B is provided,said scale being divided into degrees and marked similar to athermometmseale, beginning with 120Q at the point or knife-edge end ctof the wedge and terminating with 2OO below zero at the thick endportion a of the same. This end portion'at the point where the 20 belowzero is marked is about three-eighths inches thick, this being thedifferencebetween the greatest 5 5 expansion and contraction of a railof ordinary length under the extremes of heat and cold of the atmospherein this climate. The wedge A is provided with a longitudinal slot a2, inwhich the set-screw c of the slide C can 6o be moved from the lowest tothe highest degree of the scale. The slide may be a square or oblongblock having an inclined surface c matching the inclination of the wedgeA, it being fastened by means of the set-screw c, which, by means ofcollar c2, bears upon a washer c3, which has an inclined surface e4matching the inclination of the wedge.v The set-screw c passes looselythrough the washer c3 and enters a matching screw-thread in the 7o slideC, and thus the slide can be loosened, moved to another place, andfastened there at will and at short notice.

IVhen the thermal gage is to be used for spacing, the slide C is movedover the scaleB to the same degree found indicated by the mercury of athermometer, and then fastened to the wedge in this position. It is nowready for spacing, for which purpose it is held edge downward andagainst the end surface of the 8c last fixed rail with the slide Cresting on its top, as seen in Fig. 3. The next rail is then laid downand pushedtoward the fixed rail until it is in Contact with the gage,whereby it is held at the proper distance from the same. It is now fixedand another rail is spaced and fixed in the same manner.

In order to obtain the best result in tracklaying with my improved gage,I iind it preferable to provide the base of each railD about 9c midwayof its length with two notches CZ just wide enough to fit the spikesused in fastening the rails. By means of these notches d the rail isfastened to the sleeper D directly after spacing it with my thermalgage. After 5 this the rail is spiked down to the other sleepers in theordinary manner; but the rail being without notches, except those dabove mentioned, it is allowed to expand and contract in both directionsfrom the said notches, IooV and the track presents under allcircumstances a regular and uniform appearance. In hot weather thespaces will be found all closed, and no crowding will be observed,whereby rails of weaker fastenings are forced out of line. In coldweather the spaces between the rail ends will all be of the same size. Ihave shown the notches d out of line with each other in order to avoidcutting the grain of the sleeper twice in one line, which would tend toweaken the sleeper or possibly render it liable to split. The notches,however, might be cut in the same transverse line, and I lay no claimunder this application to any special manner of notching the rails, nordo I limit my invention with respect to the manner of notching therails.

The modiied'construction of thermal gage shown in Fig. 5 is ofwedge-form, and scaled the same as hereinbefore described; but insteadof forming a stop-shoulder by means i a slide I have provided steps w,which serve as stop-shoulders at the points where the scale-numbers areplaced, and by inserting this form of gage between the ends of therailsuntil its descent is arrested by one or another of the steps theproper spacing'of the road-track, and said degrees being located on thewedge at different points of its thickness, and serving for indicatingat once the proper spacing distance between the ends of the rails inconformity with the temperature at the time of laying the track,substantially as described.

2. The thermal gage comprising the wedge A, scale B, and slide C,constructed substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

PATRICK II. FONTAINE.

Vitnesses:

T. B. JoHNsoN, W. R. HAYMEs.

